Country singer to give concert Thursday 03-27-09

WBU

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, March 29, 2009

Rising country music singer Lathan Moore will present a concert in Wayland's Harral Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Moore recently signed with J&V Records of Nashville and is in the process of recording his debut album. He previously attended Wayland and is the brother of Chris Moore, technical theater director at Wayland.

A native of Harrisburg, Ill., Moore has been singing since age 4. He was raised in a coal-mining community and was active in the high school band, playing the trumpet, trombone and tuba. Though he also plays the rhythm guitar, it was the vocal music that always appealed more to Moore, and he always dreamed of having a singing career.

Lathan grew up singing in church and in high school choir, and he joined a country gospel quartet called "Eastern Sky" just after graduation from high school. He sang baritone for the group, touring for two years throughout the mid-east and Ohio Valley, and he also sang lead for a time with the Reliance Quartet from Paducah, Ky.

He came to Wayland on a music and theater scholarship, continuing to hone his craft. After a year, he returned home to work in the coal mines in order to save money for his move to Nashville and the pursuit of his dream career.

In 2004, he entered the Southern Illinois Regional Colgate Country Showdown and was contacted by Chelsea Studios in Nashville to record song demos.

Tickets for the April 2 concert are $10 for adults and $5 for Wayland students.